Gezwitscher No. 8 – Alcohol-Free

Gezwitscher No 8: A sparkling, tourmaline-red alcohol-free delight

Gezwitscher No 8 is an alcohol-free secco made from Saarland orchard fruit, pressed from heirloom apple varieties, grapes, quince, rhubarb, and blackcurrants. It is not a dealcoholized sparkling wine or a flavored drink, but a blend of juice, herbal extracts, and carbonation.

Gezwitscher No 8 is the alcohol-free secco from the small Pica Pica craft producer in Eppelborn, Saarland, pressed from fruit harvested in local traditional orchards. Contained in a 0.75-liter bottle with a natural cork and wire cage is a cuvée grounded in apple and accented by quince. It sparkles with a tourmaline-red hue in the glass and contains zero alcohol.

Sweet, fruity, aromatic

The secco tastes of ripe apple and quince—that tart fruit whose fragrance is only released once pressed or cooked.

The quince is the most unconventional of orchard fruits; raw, it is nearly impossible to bite into and as hard as wood, yet a single basket of them can fill an entire kitchen with its scent. Some call it the queen of the orchard. In Gezwitscher, it sets the tone, elevating the apple beyond mere sweetness.

Underneath lies the delicate acidity of blackcurrant, a hint of rhubarb keeps the sweetness in check, and extracts of regional herbs provide a subtle green edge. The effervescence remains fine and unobtrusive, allowing the fruit to take center stage. It is sweet, but never sticky—which is exactly where most alcohol-free alternatives fail.

A cork, a pop, eight to ten degrees

Served at eight to ten degrees Celsius, Gezwitscher No 8 reveals its fruit most clearly; if served too cold, it closes up and tastes only of carbonation.

It makes for an opening aperitif for the evening and pairs effortlessly with roasted poultry, goat cheese with pear, or plum tart. For those not drinking wine at the table, it still provides the ritual of the cork, the pop, and a glass with sophistication.

The bottle speaks for itself, with its dark glass and natural cork secured by a wire cage—the metal clasp that keeps the cork in place until opened. It sits among the wine glasses as if it belongs there, and no one will ask why there is no wine in your glass. You can find more sparkling companions in our alcohol-free drinks section.

Germany’s rainforest is in Saarland

A traditional orchard is not a plantation, but a collection of tall-trunked trees on grassland, and those who do not have them harvested risk losing them to mistletoe, storms, and undergrowth.

That is why Michael, Jana, and Philipp buy the fruit for Gezwitscher from families along the Viezstraße and in the St. Wendel region whose meadows would otherwise lie fallow. "People always say we have to protect the rainforest. But these orchards are the rainforest of Germany," says Philipp. Up to 5,000 animal and plant species live in these areas.

Nothing is fermented for the Gezwitscher; the carbonation is added to the finished juice, which is why the label reads 0.0% rather than "dealcoholized." If any tartrate settles at the bottom of the bottle, these are simply natural crystals from the fruit—just leave the last sip in the bottle. In addition to No 8, there is Gezwitscher No 10 with gooseberry, and you can find the entire Pica Pica range with us. Hats off.